Chapter Twenty-Two: All Your Doppelgängers Are Remarkable Figures

Fang Zhiyin hadn’t slept a wink all night, and after being punched by Ouyang Junyan, she felt utterly drained, on the verge of collapse. Yet, when she saw Lin Nana’s youthful, radiant, and irresistibly charming face, she couldn’t help but feel that the girl was truly a feast for the eyes, and her mood lifted somewhat.

“Big sister.” Noting Fang Zhiyin’s prolonged silence, Lin Nana called out to her tentatively.

“Oh!” Fang Zhiyin snapped out of her daze in a hurry. “Where are you two headed next?”

By “you two,” she meant Ouyang Junyan and Lin Nana.

“We’re going to class, of course!” Lin Nana blinked her wide eyes, looking innocent.

“Nana, could I ask you for a favor?” So far, Fang Zhiyin felt she was least familiar with the eighteen-year-old Ouyang Junyan, and he was also the most resistant to her. Thus, she could only turn to the girl he liked most at this age for help. “Here’s my number. If anything happens to him at school, call me right away!” She had no way of knowing when one of Ouyang Junyan’s other personalities might return.

“I don’t really understand.” Lin Nana looked at her in surprise. “Big sister, is there some misunderstanding between you and Mr. Ouyang?”

“A misunderstanding…” If only it were just a misunderstanding. Suddenly, Fang Zhiyin remembered something. “By the way, why did you ask him out last night?”

Caught off guard by the question, Lin Nana seemed flustered. “Oh, I… he was the one who asked me out!”

What?

But Ouyang Junyan had clearly said it was Lin Nana who had arranged to meet him…

“Big sister, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head to class now.” With that, she dashed off.

As soon as she finished speaking, Ouyang Junyan hurried after her, looking every bit the attentive boyfriend.

At that moment, Chen Chen called Fang Zhiyin. “Zhiyin, where are you right now? What are you up to?”

“Huh?” The sudden call left Fang Zhiyin’s thoughts a tangled mess. “I’m at S University.”

“Your husband’s school?” Chen Chen asked, sounding surprised. “What are you doing over there?”

“It’s a long story. Why did you call?”

“Did you forget? I mentioned before about appearing on a show together,” Chen Chen said, disappointment heavy in his voice.

Oh…

She had completely forgotten about it!

“I’m sorry.” Fang Zhiyin apologized at once.

“It’s fine. Are you free now? Want to come meet the director with me?”

All right, she thought. She didn’t want to keep trailing after Ouyang Junyan anyway. A change of pace and some new faces might do her good.

That afternoon, Chen Chen took Fang Zhiyin to meet the director of the show. At first, Fang Zhiyin had no interest in variety shows or the entertainment industry at all. But Chen Chen’s words had made sense: she’d run her publishing company for years, but how could she keep running it out of sheer passion alone? Her family was wealthy, but most of her employees came from ordinary backgrounds. Many had joined her company out of love for the craft, but still, she had to consider their livelihoods.

“Miss Fang, I never expected you to be so beautiful in person!” The director’s assistant showered her with praise. “You and Mr. Chen both look amazing!”

Perhaps some people thought writers were plain-looking by nature.

“Thank you for the compliment. Many authors I know are quite good-looking, actually,” Fang Zhiyin replied with pride.

The production team was sincere and spoke highly of her. Fang Zhiyin had only one requirement: she couldn’t stay overnight outside the home and needed to return each day.

Besides, she needed to check with Ouyang Junyan first…

That evening, upon returning home, Fang Zhiyin found someone standing silently in the corner of the living room.

“Ouyang?”

Though they’d only been apart for half a day, every time Fang Zhiyin returned home, it felt like opening a mystery box.

Because she never knew which version of Ouyang Junyan would emerge when the box was opened.

“You’re back?” His deep, magnetic voice sounded both calm and normal.

“Husband?”

It was the real Ouyang Junyan!

He strode over to her in a few steps, fixing her with a steady gaze. “What’s happened these past few days?”

Fang Zhiyin wanted to say so much, but in the end, she only shook her head wearily. “Nothing.” Then she noticed the medical file in his hand. “Did you go for a follow-up at the hospital after you got back?”

“Yes,” Ouyang Junyan nodded. “I just returned. I feel exhausted. I suppose the other ‘mes’ have been quite busy these last few days.”

Fang Zhiyin managed a wry smile. “By the way, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

She told him about joining the variety show alongside Chen Chen, one of her company’s signed authors.

After hearing her out, Ouyang Junyan pondered for a long while.

Fang Zhiyin was certain he wouldn’t agree. No matter which version of him was present, he’d surely refuse.

Especially the thirty-five-year-old Ouyang Junyan. If he knew, he’d be furious, thundering, “How can you, as my wife, go flaunting yourself in public?!”

But to her surprise…

“Zhiyin, go ahead,” Ouyang Junyan said blandly.

“What?”

“There’s no need for you to revolve around me every minute of every day. You should focus on developing your own career,” he told her earnestly. “If I hadn’t fallen ill… I’d never have realized how much of a burden I’ve been.”

“Why would you say that?” Hearing him speak of himself that way tugged at Fang Zhiyin’s heart.

“Isn’t it true?”

“You have no idea what’s happened!” As she spoke, Fang Zhiyin’s eyes reddened.

Only then did Ouyang Junyan notice her swollen nose. “What happened to your nose?”

Fang Zhiyin quickly covered it up. Was she supposed to say, “You have the nerve to ask! You hit me!”? Of course not.

“I just bumped it by accident,” she replied, feeling guilty.

Ouyang Junyan didn’t press her further. Perhaps he could guess, but sometimes, knowing and not speaking was the kinder choice.

“Be more careful from now on. I… can’t always be by your side.”

After he said this, silence fell between them.

“You really agree to let me go on the show?” Fang Zhiyin finally broke the quiet. She felt his personality had changed a lot since his illness.

Was this a good or bad thing? She couldn’t say for sure yet.

“Go!” Ouyang Junyan replied without the slightest hesitation, his tone firm and resolute. “I want you to do what you truly want.”

“What about you?” she asked again.

“Besides me, are the others all just children?” Ouyang Junyan said, sounding a little indignant. “Don’t worry about them! Unless they do something utterly outrageous…”

Fang Zhiyin recalled the things the twenty-five and thirty-five-year-old Ouyang Junyan had done—acts that had nearly made her cough up blood in anger. She really wanted to tell the man before her: Mr. Ouyang, your other selves are truly remarkable! There’s nothing they can’t imagine, and nothing they won’t dare to do!